March Recap

March seriously flew by! I don't know about you, but this gross winter weather is really leaving me in a state of general blah-ness. Hopefully this is the last time I have to say that, as I hope the weather improves and stays that way! :) 

I mentioned at the end of February that I started up a figure skating class - it has been fun, and some of my old skills are (slowly) returning. And it is worth noting that while I may be lucky to possess a fast metabolism and a large appetite, I have absolutely no core strength remaining. Lol. So, I'm working on that too. Contemplating taking a Pure Barre class - have you tried it? 

A few snaps from Instagram! :)

Posts This Month: The Repurchases // Beauty Musings // A Collection of Mini Lipsticks // Lush Perfumes // An Introduction to Lipstick Queen // Classic Cleansers from Clarins & Origins // Lush Celestial Moisturizer // Nars Matte Multiple in Altai // February Favorites

Products I Loved: I do have some favorites to share this month, and I don't want to reveal them all, but one of those that top my list is Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. It has been on my list for nearly 2 years and I always went back and forth on it, but I realize now that I should have bit the bullet and gotten it! I was also happily surprised by a sample of Bumble & Bumble Surf Shampoo, so that may end up in my basket during the Sephora sale coming up. 

Product Disappointments: I didn't care for quite a few samples of shampoo, including Bumble & Bumble's Gentle and Thickening versions. Not much else disappointed me this month though. Woohoo! 

Beauty Purchases: I'm trying to stay restrained, but my one big purchase this month was the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm quite excited to! Oh, and I picked up a few interesting things from the Japanese market that I plan to post about soon. 

Added to the Wishlist: Not much, surprisingly. How did that happen? I talked about my "almost" wishlist here, though. 

So, what have you been up to this month? Any highlights? I'd love to know!

The Repurchases

I’m a girl who is always checking the “New Arrivals” section of my favorite shopping sites. Yes, for a few years, I even knew the day and time every week that Sephora updated their new arrivals page…

In any event, you might imagine that by the time I make it to the end of a product, my attention will have already moved on. I love reading about what other people repurchase, so I thought I would share the few items I’ve repurchased over the last year or so and would continue to repurchase for the foreseeable future. 

The Skincare Favorites
If you've been a long time reader, you probably have heard me talk about Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water (review) and Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil (review). You've probably also heard about my love for First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream (review), which is a perfect multipurpose hydrating cream that I love for hands and body. 

The Hair Basics
I don't talk about hair very much, but I've kind of been loving Living Proof Thickening Cream. It just keeps my hair looking smooth and voluminous - whether I manage to blow dry it or not! On the dry shampoo front, I've been a fan of Oscar Blandi Invisible Dry Shampoo, which absorbs oil without the fuss of powder and keeps my hair looking normal if I oversleep... 

Are you surprised at how few items I’ve repurchased lately? I’m on a (never-ending) quest to minimize my stash, so there hasn’t really been much need to repurchase much. It isn’t as if I finish makeup! (Sad.) 

I won’t end this post without mentioning two products that I anticipate buying again sometime this year - Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve and Nars Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eye Base. I ventured off to try some new hand creams and use up some sample tubes, but this is such a great everyday hand cream that is (relatively) affordable too. And luckily for me, I somehow ended up with a few sample size tubes of the Nars base that i’ve been working through the last 2 (!!) years. I just opened my last sample tube last month, and hopefully that will last a while.

So, what’s made it to your repurchase list lately? Do you finish and repurchase a lot of products? I’d love to know! 

Beauty Musings

I don't know about you, but winter is really getting to me. I've just been exhausted! And exhaustion over here means I've been quiet about sharing some of the things on my radar lately. 

Loving these new goodies from African Botanics!

My hair is seriously getting long... 

Products I'm Testing
African Botanics recently released some new items that I'm enjoying so far. Cleansing Mask and Cleansing Oil? I'm in! Check out my reviews of other African Botanics products here. I also need to test out quite a lot of products I've been buying over the last few months. I think there's stuff I bought in November that I haven't even tried yet. Oops!

Beauty Reads 
This past week, I have been obsessing over the site Violet Grey. A digital magazine and curated beauty shop, the site is just gorgeous.  Another read that has me asking myself what I've been missing is Andie's Techno Cupcake - I've been trying to keep up with her blog these past few weeks and dying over her Tom Ford and Armani acquisitions and foray into natural skincare.

Oh, and this weekend I've been watching Sali Hughes interview iconic makeup artist Mary Greenwell. If you're into beauty chats, this two part video will give you nearly an hour of entertainment! 

Help Wanted
It seems as if I have legitimate beauty product needs. Usually, I'd say I don't actually need another skincare item/ neutral eyeshadow / magenta-ish lipstick, but these two categories are not overflowing with products... Yet.

I don't know what it is, but my skin has been absolutely awful so far this year. I'm curious to try some other blemish treatments just to see what's out there, and I'm especially interested in what can make those scars heal faster. Also, since my hair is getting longer, I'm digging through my stash of shampoo samples hoping to find a nice option to keep my hair looking nice and fuss free. 

Obsessing Over Brushes
I think I have quite a healthy (read: excessive) stash of brushes, but lately I just feel like I don't have the right ones for eyes. For the most part, my brushes are from midrange department store lines or Sephora, and I have a good number of Real Techniques as well. I've been quite curious about some Tom Ford brushes lately but the prices are scary. And I definitely have been thinking about Hakuhodo... and I'm wondering, am I totally missing out by not having a MAC eyeshadow brush? Any thoughts, recommendations or enabling/disabling is appreciated. :)

Almost On the Wishlist
While I'm always adding things to my wishlist, I've had a lot of "maybe" products land on that list lately. I never thought I'd be interested in Bare Minerals, but I've always read great reviews on the Ready Eyeshadows and I'm suddenly curious. When it comes to the Nars Contour Blush, I'm sure I'll rush out and grab one, but so far I'm safe. I want to see them in person first, and really I don't need another contour product.

I've also been eyeing Fresh Creme Ancienne Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask, a pricey item that has been on the market for a few months and just recently landed on Sephora.com. Bumble & Bumble has suddenly caught my eye too, and I'm curious about the new Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster. Yup, all products I really don't need but suddenly find very interesting!

Affiliate Links 

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0

NARS Contour Blush

Fresh® 'Crème Ancienne' Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask

BUMBLE AND BUMBLE Surf Spray

Bumble and bumble Cityswept Finish

Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster

So, what have you been up to lately?? Have you been testing any new products? (Hopefully not waiting forever like I do?) Do you have any awesome new blog discoveries I should check out? Are you surprised by the new releases and products you've added to your wishlist? Anyways, I want to hear all about what you've been up to!

A Collection of Mini Lipsticks

I was doing a little organizing a few weeks ago, and I discovered I had quite a cute little stash of mini lipsticks. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may have discovered I have quite a talent for collecting far too many makeup minis in a short period of time... 

And I definitely can't decide if that is a good or bad thing. In any event, read on to hear about more about my mini lipstick collection!

The Everyday Favorites
I have been a bit in love with Bite Beauty lipsticks, and this stash of shades has been fun to play with. I've been quite impressed with the smooth and creamy formula and range of gorgeous shades. If you have dry lips, I would definitely recommend taking a look at these moisturizing lipsticks. 

The Designer Picks
I always love looking at Dior Addict in Lucky, and I've been holding onto the Rouge Dior in 999. For whatever reason, I don't wear these often, but I just love having them in there.  Actually, I'm not even sure I've opened the Rouge Dior, the Givenchy Le Rouge in Brun Createur, or the Armani Rouge CC in 400. 

The Midrange Selections
Also in my collection are a few fun choices from Sephora that I haven't worn much but have no general complaints about the formula - Stila Color Balm in Vivienne and Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Catfight. Then there's probably the oldest of the bunch, both of which may be discontinued by now, Benefit Lady's Choice and Laura Mercier Duchess Rose. 

... Oh, I just realized that I have a few Burberry lipstick minis too that I haven't included, as they live in my Burberry drawer. And in the interest of full disclosure, there are definitely minis of other lip products (gloss, etc) hanging around... 

So my lesson today is... stop buying lipstick! I'm not sure I've even finished a mini lipstick and quite a few of these have been waiting months for some love. Perhaps I need to commit to using them this spring?

What about you - have you been finding mini lipsticks everywhere like I have? Or are you actually using them up, unlike me? ;)